The Sovereign: (15) It is He Who made...

Issues Discussed Herein:

The connection of this verse to the previous one is that after Allah established with proofs His knowledge of what they conceal and what they reveal, this verse follows as a form of warning.

It is analogous to someone who tells his servant, who has wronged his master in secret: "O so-and-so, I know your secret and your public actions. So sit in this dwelling I have gifted you. Despite all this good I have prepared for you, do not feel safe from My discipline, for if I will, I can turn this dwelling—which is your place of security and safety—into a source of calamities in which you become bewildered, and a spring of tribulations by which you are destroyed."

Similarly here, it is as if Allah is saying: "O disbelievers, know that I know your secrets and your public deeds. Therefore, be fearful of Me and cautious of My punishment. This earth upon which you walk its slopes—and you believe it is the furthest thing from harming you—it is I Who has subdued it for you and made it a means of your benefit. So walk upon its slopes, for if I will, I can cause this earth to swallow you up, and send down upon you various calamities from the sky." This is the connection of this verse to the preceding one.

Adh-Dhalūl (subdued/tame) for anything means that which is obedient to you. Its root is dhull (submission/docility). Hence, a dābbah dhalūl (a tame beast) is mentioned.

There are several interpretations regarding the description of the Earth as adh-dhalūl:

1. It is not made rocky and rough such that walking upon it is impossible, similar to how walking on the rough face of a rock is impossible.
2. It is made soft so that it can be dug and buildings can be constructed upon it as desired. If it were hard stone, this would be impossible.
3. If it were stone, or like gold or iron, it would become extremely hot in the summer and extremely cold in the winter, making agriculture and planting impossible. It would not serve as a resting place for the dead and the living.
4. Allah has subjugated it for us by holding it suspended in the air. If it were moving in a straight line or in a circular path, it would not be obedient to us.

The statement, {So walk upon its slopes} (F-amshū fī manākibihā), is a command indicating permission (ibāḥah), just as the statement {and eat from His provision} (wa kulū min rizqih) is.

Scholars have mentioned several interpretations for manākib al-Arḍ (the slopes/shoulders of the earth):

1. The Author of Al-Kashshāf said: Walking upon its slopes signifies the utmost degree of subjugation. This is because the shoulders (manākhir) and their meeting point on a camel are the softest parts and the least suitable for walking upon. If a camel becomes such that one can walk on its shoulder, it has reached the limit of obedience and submission. Thus, {So walk upon its slopes} is a metaphor for the Earth being at the peak of tameness (dhulūliyyah).
2. The view of Qatādah, Al-Ḍaḥḥāk, and Ibn ‘Abbās: The manākib of the Earth are its mountains and hills. Mountains are called manākib because the shoulders of a human being are prominent (shākhisah), and mountains are also prominent. The meaning is: I have made it easy for you to walk upon its slopes, which are its furthest parts from being subdued. So, what about the rest of its parts?
3. The view of Al-Ḥasan, Mujāhid, Al-Kalbī, Muqātil, a narration from ‘Aṭā’ from Ibn ‘Abbās, and the choice of Al-Farra’ and Ibn Qutaybah: The manākib are its sides, paths, and extremities. Manikab (singular) for a person means his two sides. This is like His statement: {And Allah has made for you the earth a carpet, that you may travel therein by its ways, its broad paths} (Noah: 19-20).

As for {and eat from His provision} (wa kulū min rizqih), it means from what Allah has created as provision for you on Earth.

{And to Him is the return} (Wa ilayhi an-nushūr): This implies that your stay on Earth and your eating from Allah's provision should be the stay of one who knows his return is to Allah, and the eating of one certain that his destination is Allah. The intent is to warn them against disbelief and sins, whether in secret or openly.

Furthermore, Allah clarified that their remaining safe on Earth was due to His grace and mercy, and that if He had willed, He could have reversed the situation for them and rained down upon them the rain of afflictions from the clouds of subjugation. He then affirmed this meaning by stating:

< { Do you feel secure that He Who is in the heaven would not cause the earth to swallow you while it is convulsing? } >